Campground Review: Cedar Hill State Park, Dallas, Texas

Introduction:

This campground has a ton of potential but unfortunately, so much of it is unavailable because of flood damage, it was a bit disappointing. As a base for exploring Dallas, it's quite convenient, but it really could be a destination campground if they would repair the storm damage.

The Basics:

Overall Rating: 4.1/5

Price per night / Discounts: $30 / None

Campground website: Cedar Hill State Park

Our Site #: 228

Privacy Rating (how spacious and private do the sites feel):

5/5: The sites themselves were quite private. Most are narrow with lots of vegetation on both sides and a picnic table and fire pit at the back or on the side of the space. We felt we had ample space between us and our neighbors and because the park has been there for a while, the sites have lots of mature trees that provide a sense of privacy.

Location Rating (accessibility to points of interest or to major highways):

5/5: Cedar Hill State Park is ideally located just outside of Dallas. It took us between 20 and 30 minutes to drive into the city, depending on where we were headed and at what time of day. In the meantime, just about 3 miles down the road is the town center of Cedar Hill. There were numerous stores, restaurants, and services on the main road and we took advantage of their close proximity to knock several things off our long term to-do list. The park's location is extremely convenient.

Site Quality and Big Rig Accessibility Rating (utilities and accessibility of campground hook ups):

2.5/5: The pavement on the sites was pretty beat up and many of the sites were extremely un-level. We also noticed severe cracking along some of the interior roads. The park had definitely taken a beating from the weather and is in serious need of some restoration. All that being said, our particular site was level and everything worked alright. Also be advised, there are a lot of sites that are very small and would not fit a big rig. Big sites do exist, but I wouldn't just show up without a reservation on a summer weekend because while they may have sites available, they may not have large sites available.

Technology and Customer Service Rating (online resources, reservations, and staff):

4/5: Cedar Hill State Park uses the Texas State Parks website for reservations. You cannot reserve a specific site, but you can reserve a site that will accommodate you. Customer service at check-in was efficient, if not particularly friendly.

Internet Availability Rating (Verizon coverage or campground wifi):

4/5: No problems with Verizon service. No wifi, but that is as expected in a state park.

Summary:

This park is located on the banks of a beautiful lake, but about a third to half of the park is off limits to visitors due to flood damage from the summer of 2015. Several loops of campsites were closed, the marina has been permanently closed, and we were told several walking trails were closed. It seemed as though there were more places we were NOT permitted to go than those that we were permitted to go. We walked through some of the damaged areas and it does not appear that they are even trying to re-open them. In the meantime, there were almost no trails open and we ended up walking the dog in the street because there are no sidewalks. This campground could be gorgeous and the kind of place we would love to stay for an extended period, but for now, it's main feature is its proximity to Dallas. For those purposes, it is a solid campground (though it really could use some grading and re-paving). All in all, it served our purposes, but we were left feeling like it could have been a lot better.

(**Note: If you are staying at any Texas State Park for more than 7 days over the course of a year, it pays to buy an Annual Parks Pass from the state. This will relieve you of having to pay the additional daily charges that many people find so maddening.)

Campground Photos (Click for larger image):